I think that one of the greatest things to ever come out of the South is their BBQ pulled pork. There is noting more delicious than this dish. You want to talk about great barbeque, then you need to talk about bbq pulled pork. There is just nothing finer in the world of barbeque than this dish. And this is a dish which you can almost duplicate in your own home today.
The basic definition of BBQ pulled pork is pork which is slowly cooked over a low, smoky fire which is not really blazing hot, but cooler. It is usually between 225 and 250 degrees F. The wood which they use is usually hickory, or oak, and sometimes a fruity type wood like apple. (Remember, Johnny Appleseed?)
Now, here is how we do bbq pulled pork. It is a rather large piece of meat so keep that in mind while you put on a very generous amount of barbeque rub. As a side note, one of the reasons our bbq pulled pork comes out so good is that our own Signature Brand of Barbeque rub has a lot of hickory flavor in it. So when you apply Chef Michael's Southern Style Hickory BBQ rub, even if you do not use wood chips or hickory wood, you still have all that hickory flavor coming through.
After you have the rub all over and in the pork shoulder, (or butt), place the meat over the indirect heat part of the grill. And if you are using wood chips, make sure that you have soaked them for at least thirty minutes before you use them. Wet wood chips smoke way better than dry ones.
Have plenty of wood chips around since this whole process of smoking over the indirect heat to make this bbq pulled pork is going to take you abut four to six hours. So plan accordingly with your coals and wood chips, always keeping in mind that you are going to do this over a low, smoky fire. I use an oven thermometer so that I know the temperature of my fire in the box. You do not want to go over 250 degrees F max. And because of this fact it is going to take a long time to smoke.
But that is where the flavor and tenderness comes from. That and the fact that you used a lot of barbeque rub on your bbq pulled pork. This rub is going to turn into a nice crust on the outside. This is what we call in the 'industry', “Bark.” It is just the sugar in the rub carmelizing and burning to form that nice crust which is so fantastic to tear into when you are eating bbq pulled pork.
You want to absolutely reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. before you pull this out of the barbecue. Oh, yes, it is done at 165, but it will still be tough; you do not want that. And remember that you are going to place this in a pan or on a board and cover it and let it rest for at least thirty minutes before you start pulling it apart with two forks.
Or you can simply use your hands….if they are made out of asbestos because the meat is still real hot. But at any rate, pull it apart and then you can serve it up on sandwiches or on the plate just as the entree. But you will have some of the finest the South has to offer: bbq pulled pork. And remember that the barbecue sauce is optional on this dish. You will have all the flavor you want even without sauce.
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